Sixes – Methistopheles (Review)

Sixes are a doom/sludge band from the US and this is their debut album.

You know that you can never, ever have enough filthy, ugly doom, right? I mean, it’s just not possible.

Enter Sixes.

Methistopheles is a colossal 62 minutes of feedback, Earth-shaking distortion, apocalyptic melodies, and throat-destroying vocals. And boy does it grab you and not let go until the bitter end.

Heavy, slow, repetitive, and utterly bleak, this is music to watch the world end to. I love the band’s glacial intensity, and I love the hard edge to their grim riffs.

There’s a core of violence to this band, despite how restrained they can be or how gradually the music can unfold. This is a slow intensity born from misanthropy and hatred, and Methistopheles seethes with animosity and smoulders with barely controlled rage.

There’s variety here too though, as it’s not all high-intensity sonic devastation. The first half of Voidkiller is a great example of this. Softer and with a Warhorse-style feel to it, this unfolds with a lightness of delivery that’s no-less-bleak and dark for its lack of distortion or screaming; clean singing is performed here instead of the singer’s usual intense utterances, (although it should be noted that there’s actually quite an array of vocal styles used throughout this album).

It’s easy to get lost in music like this. Sixes create heavy, drawn-out soundscapes that find me slowly swaying to the music’s hypnotic grooves without really realising it; before I know it I’ve just zoned out completely and become one with the band’s mournful, depressing aural assault.

Where the Hell did that last hour go, and why do I feel emotionally drained and empty?

For anyone into slow, heavy, intense doom/sludge metal, this is a highly recommended listen. Now go and leave me be, I wish to become one with the music once more.